Sliding Thoughts

The blog of Sholeh Loehle

September 6, 2005
by sholeh
2 Comments

How to study

Everyone has their own learning styles. And it also varies by topic. For instance, when I do research on something Baha’i Faith-related, I dive in, compile everything in a Word document, and then read over later. With business, I take notes as I read and make outlines.

The last 4 years of university have taught me some important things about my learning style. I actually pay attention when the professor engages the students in conversation and talks about real-world cases. I prefer to study with other people (even if we’re studying different materials).

The interesting phenomenon at my school (and maybe this is reserved to the business majors) is that people do not study together. I’ve had very few opportunities to form study groups. It is a commuter school, and most people work part/full-time jobs, so this is all understandable, but frustrating nonetheless.

On another note, many of my management professors insist that we dress professionally for our presentations. I have no argument against it, I think it is a good idea. It is easy to tell who the business students are on campus because we’re all walking around in snazzy suits and button-down shirts. It is almost like a uniform.

Speaking of presentations, I’m going to give one in 15 minutes. We’re gonna rock that joint. um yeah. ;-)

September 4, 2005
by sholeh
10 Comments

Another year!

Hello, 22, how are you?
I’m just fine
writing a rhyme
when all I want to do is party.
I’m leaving home
but I won’t be alone
I’m going to eat something tasty!

(Forgive the horrible poetry, I just woke up and am trying to get out the door.)

I danced like a maniac last night at the conference. Today has promising things on the horizon.

September 2, 2005
by sholeh
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Everything. Too. Much.

I want to write now
with words that escape my last breath
before I sleep
can I speak about the rain that came
to wash away these doubts
in rivers
and bridges
flooding over each place in the world.
In one place too much
in another not enough.

I will speak about those loved safe
just a dot on the map
in geologic time
but happy nonetheless.

my heart can’t take this in
reading and seeing
is too much to believe
I live in a place with sirens
as the wind in trees
what trees?
but this is not something I know.

I will be at work tomorrow.
wanting my someday-children
to have a world to explore
if we don’t destroy it now.

August 29, 2005
by sholeh
2 Comments

Uplifted

I’m a question mark
Walking talking question mark
But what is the question again…
Life may sometimes be sad
But it’s always beautiful…
- “Whats the Use”, Jamie Lidell

I watched a shadow of the Milky Way
twist beyond the flames of a bonfire
let my feet drag in cold green water
and the sun soak into skin
I heard words, took them in
rewrote the song of my soul
just a little bit.

I fell in love again
all things go, all things go
I drove to Chicago
all things know, all things know…
- “Chicago”, Sufjan Stevens

My birthday is in 5 days, and I feel like maybe I am just starting to appreciate the age that I am.

Don’t underestimate the power of a bike ride at the end of August around the city of Chicago. Or a weekend trip to the middle of nowhere.

August 24, 2005
by sholeh
2 Comments

The Back Porch

I studied on the back porch with the setting sun warming my feet and a soda near at hand.

The sounds of the city, construction, cars, and chaos do not detract from the utter peace and enjoyment of such an activity.

If you’d ever like to study with me, you know where to find me. At least until it gets too cold outside, in which case I’ll be at the coffee shop down the street.

August 22, 2005
by sholeh
3 Comments

School

Tomorrow is the first day of school. I am ambivalent.

I have most of my books, all of my supplies, and my schedule is set. I just have to show up to class!

The next few weeks will be flying by non-stop. Roommates/friends moving in and out of the house/neighborhood will keep me occupied, I am sure.

If your neighborhood ever has a block party, I recommend that you attend. You may meet some interesting characters. I was introduced to an Italian woman who wants to teach me to cook Italian food (in exchange for me teaching her Persian cooking), a recent transplant from Texas with a child who wanted to know where to eat in the neighborhood (I was happy to oblige), an older couple with a friendly dog who lamented the fact that their son was not in attendance, and a woman with a young daughter from Ghana. There were at least 4 interracial couples and probably 30 children running around.

And I can’t even describe the food. :-)

August 17, 2005
by sholeh
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mmm Pasta…

A recipe! Feel free to adjust as you wish. I made it up while contemplating the contents of my refrigerator, realizing that I was limited in my choices.

Ingredients:
1 clove fresh garlic
4 chopped green onions
1 small bunch of fresh cilantro
1 large tomato
salt
pepper
dash of tumeric
olive oil
1 teaspoon balsamic vinegar

Cook pasta until done, drain and set aside (I use brown rice spaghetti, which works very well if you’re on a gluten-free diet).

Put garlic, cilantro, and onions in a small food processor. If you don’t have a small processor, chop all ingredients very fine. Set aside. Dice tomato by hand.

Put some olive oil in a non-stick pan, warm up. Put green mixture in, fry 1 minute on medium. Put in salt, pepper, and tumeric. Add balsamic vinegar. Fry for 30 more seconds, then add tomato pieces. Fry just until tomato gets slightly cooked, then put on top of pasta!

Makes 2 servings.

August 12, 2005
by sholeh
1 Comment

Summer writing and change

Summer is not conducive to blog-writing, at least among some of my friends. It may be that we’re too busy enjoying the nice weather. It is easier to convince oneself that there is nothing to do when there is 3 feet of snow on the ground, so sitting in front of a computer is actually productive.

Somehow the week got away from me. Reconnection with high school friends and the comfort of the suburbs (I love not having to search for parking!), sewing (I made a skirt), spending time with friends, getting ice cream and cheese fries at the local shops, biking, and reading.

I look up to realize that we have reached the halfway point of August, and things are heating up. School starting, Greenlake conference, my birthday (whee!), and a dozen other projects, events, and plans. I’m excited.

I also realize that these things all signify changes. This is my last semester of school. The weather will become hostile to bike-riding and the beach. Back-porch chats will be moved to the living room. I start the job hunt in earnest. Friends are getting married, moving, or starting new phases in their lives, a whirlwind of activity that I watch with some bemusement.

August 8, 2005
by sholeh
4 Comments

Does this look real?

(Click to make bigger)

I am in awe of this place, and possibilities of structure.

There are so many questions I want answers to, and yet Sunday night I made the observation that sometimes there has to be the acceptance that some questions don’t have answers (in this lifetime, anyway). I want to follow the wisdom of my heart, not get caught up in the words and phrases and thoughtless machinations…

Ah, sometimes the peace comes in mere writing for me. The flow of pen to paper (or, more likely, keyboard to screen) is like a form of meditation or something.

It is easy to allow beauty to diminish through others’ words of disparagement and disappointment. It is ok if one person likes something and another doesn’t. It would be nice if people allowed others to enjoy that beauty without comment.

August 8, 2005
by sholeh
3 Comments

Did I do that?

I am newly aware
of the strength contained
in my small frame.
There is something strange about knowing
exactly what to do
and that restraint
is good in its place.
Even odder is when I understand
that this was the only
thing I could do.
——————————————————
On a completely different note, congrats to any and all married/soon to be married couples (quite honestly, way too many to list here), etc etc. I’m dead tired.
——————————————————
I second-guess
and think
that this
is not going to be healed.
And it breaks my heart.
Why are things so strange here?

August 4, 2005
by sholeh
2 Comments

Well, look at that!

Hey, my birthday is in exactly 1 month. Fascinating.

Have not made plans yet, and I’m not sure that I will.

I’m going to go enjoy the city now. How can I not, with the sun shining and my bike waiting patiently for me?

August 3, 2005
by sholeh
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Insomnia

sometimes I see
reflections behind me
out of the corner of my mind
I reach out to touch
with a fleeting glimpse
I know I’m alive
this is simple
to believe
I don’t have to try
since time
is beyond me

August 1, 2005
by sholeh
2 Comments

One! And an assortment of things

One Magazine launched the Love issue today! Check it out.

I try to write, and my hands refuse to translate the thoughts from my brain onto screen. I’m fighting them, but they prefer to sit back and take a break.

On Saturday I will attempt a feat previously unknown in the annals of Sholeh-dom. I will attend two weddings on the same day.
11:30 am: Emily & Doug’s wedding in the suburbs
8:00 pm: Myk & Lacey’s wedding in the city

I love adventures like this. Wouldn’t it be great to have a camera crew along as I rush desperately from church to reception to reception? The voice-over should be done by Morgan Freeman, as is appropriate for such things.

In a search for more information about voice-overs, I came across this article: What’s the worst ad song ever? Ad agencies, be aware! Some things are just not appropriate!

July 27, 2005
by sholeh
3 Comments

Teaching

I’m still working on reading Child of the Covenant, which is definitely one of my favorite books now. There is a chapter on the subject of teaching the Faith which I really enjoyed, and wanted to share some of the Writings and paragraphs from it.

The Cause of Bahá’u'lláh is founded on the truth of God’s Revelation and truth cannot be clothed in false standards. It cannot employ the techniques of salesmanship, propaganda, expediency and compromise. The methods used in the commercial world to attract people to new ideas, such as extravagant and sensational publicity based on slogans, extreme statements and similar gimmicks, are all alien to the Cause of God.
(Adib Taherzadeh, The Child of the Covenant, p. 249)

This paragraph really hit home for me. I study management and marketing. In the business world, the goal is to make your product stand out, have something different to offer (or seem to have something different). Whatever ploy the marketer can use is fair game. However, in the Baha’i Faith, we have no need of such things. The Faith stands out on its own.

Throughout His ministry Bahá’u'lláh exhorted His followers to teach the Cause of God with great wisdom. He did not approve of teaching the public indiscriminately.
(Adib Taherzadeh, The Child of the Covenant, p. 250)

In his teaching work a Bahá’í presents the message of Bahá’u'lláh as one would offer a gift to a king. Since his primary object in teaching is not to increase numbers but rather to bring a soul to its God, a Bahá’í ought to approach his fellow men with feelings of love and humility and, above all, take to them the transforming power of Bahá’u'lláh and nothing of himself. Indeed, if he tries to project himself by impressing upon the listener his knowledge and accomplishments and if he aims to establish the ascendancy of his arguments while teaching the Faith, then the power of Bahá’u'lláh cannot reach him.
(Adib Taherzadeh, The Child of the Covenant, p. 249)
***************
“God hath prescribed unto every one the duty of teaching His Cause. Whoever ariseth to discharge this duty, must needs, ere he proclaimeth His Message, adorn himself with the ornament of an upright and praiseworthy character, so that his words may attract the hearts of such as are receptive to his call. Without it, he can never hope to influence his hearers.”
(Bahá’u'lláh, Gleanings, p. 335)

“Teach ye the Cause of God, O people of Baha, for God hath prescribed unto every one the duty of proclaiming His Message, and regardeth it as the most meritorious of all deeds. Such a deed is acceptable only when he that teacheth the Cause is already a firm believer in God, the Supreme Protector, the Gracious, the Almighty.”
(Bahá’u'lláh, Gleanings, p. 278)

July 25, 2005
by sholeh
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Listen: A compilation of friends

I listened
as she told me the stories of her life
the struggle against demons that I could not imagine,
and the slow effort to rise up again.
I listened
as he unburdened his soul
explaining why he did what he did
his confusion in the midst of decision-making,
and the peace in his voice at the end.
I listened
as she talked about her love
laughing as she explained exactly what it was,
how it was that they arrived at this point.
I listened
as his voice changed when he talked about a girl
that he never met, but wanted to get to know,
and how she changed his life.
I listened
as her voice dropped when she explained
the circumstances that forced her to this place,
and tears filled her eyes.
I listened
as he told jokes to lighten my mood
even as he struggled with the anxiety of not knowing,
and the fear of change.

July 24, 2005
by sholeh
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Differences combined.

It is 99 degrees F outside right now, and the neighbors opened up the fire hydrant on the corner…kids and adults are playing in the water. I wish I could get a picture of it…such typical hot summer day behavior.

I went outside for a few minutes, and since it is not humid outside, the heat felt great to me. I’m sure if I was out there for more than 10 minutes I would not feel that way, but for those few minutes…

I watched a Chinese father and his 4 year old son chasing each other through the water. A white woman held her neighbor’s black child on her lap, and the “Italian mafia” guys on our street had the grill outside and brought lemonade. The Russian woman brought her toddler out to splash in the water, and an older Indian couple walked up and down the street, the woman wrapped in her sari.

I could be at a memorial service right now, or at a beach with many of my friends, or exploring the city…but right now, I am really enjoying the peace and quiet. Seeing the crowd of lovely, amazing people all splashing around, regardless of the fact that they looked different on the outside, was just completely wonderful.

July 23, 2005
by sholeh
4 Comments

I love this town, but sometimes…

I took the red line today. This means I was on a train for 1 hour, most of which was underground.

The train used to be my favorite form of public transportation. The hypnotic motion as it hurtled toward its destination, watching all different kinds of people get on and off…there is nothing like the Chicago El system.

But now I come home to read the news (since television is so atrocious), and all I see is this:

London attacks

Toll climbs in Egyptian attacks

A young woman murdered in a bus bomb attack in Turkey is to be remembered at the wedding of her best friend.

and more and more and more. For some reason, being on the bus does not worry me as much…there is something about being underground, though…I see a higher police presence at the public library, on the trains, and on the streets.

I really, really like my bike. Especially right now. But even with all of the world news, and the tension created by the attacks all over…there was standing room only on the red line today.

library.JPG
The H.W. Library

July 21, 2005
by sholeh
1 Comment

The News

I turned on the television to see if a storm was coming in.
Why did I even bother? I could have checked on the computer.
I left it on out of pure laziness,
and I felt like my brain was melting out my ears.
The news alternated between reports of deaths and accidents
to gossip on celebrities and their marital troubles.
I don’t know why I am surprised each time
that I try to find out what is happening in the world
and all I find out about
is what is happening at home.

July 18, 2005
by sholeh
4 Comments

I forgot to mention…

that I love avocado smoothies. They make me happier than almost anything except flan. Oh, and I really, really like puns. Yes, I do. I am sorry if this makes you not want to be friends with me.

It has been proven in several scientific papers that my puns get worse the more tired I get. Therefore, one can measure “Sholeh Tiredness” by how royally awful my puns are. I’m serious.

I am looking forward to biking again…something about the freedom I have when zooming around town…phenomenal.